In the second annual Fall River/New Bedford March Madness Middle School Basketball Classic held at B.M.C. Durfee High School on Saturday, New Bedford’s Keith Middle School dominated the seven-team boys’ field, while Fall River’s Kuss Middle School took home the girls’ championship.

FALL RIVER — If this is any indication, the future of Big 3 basketball won’t be short on talent.

In the second annual Fall River/New Bedford March Madness Middle School Basketball Classic held at B.M.C. Durfee High School on Saturday, New Bedford’s Keith Middle School dominated the seven-team boys’ field, while Fall River’s Kuss Middle School took home the girls’ championship.

The Kuss girls held a 26-4 lead over Keith in the championship and limited their opponents to two second-half points en route to a 43-6 victory.

Abigail Callahan led the Cougars with 10 points and was named the Most Valuable Player of the girls’ tourney.

On the boys’ side, Keith cruised to a 62-21 victory over Talbot in the finals. Brycen Goodine, an athletic 6-foot-2 center, was named MVP after scoring 13 points in the championship.

Although neither title game was a thriller, the day was a huge success, with the tournament being played in front of a healthy crowd.

“As you can see, this is something that has taken off,” said Vic Pereira, the tournament director for Fall River. “Nice to see the parents come out and nice to see both communities come together.

“This tournament is about much more than winning and losing. It’s also about showing great sportsmanship.”

In all, seven boys’ teams and seven girls’ teams took part (three of each from Fall River and New Bedford, and Ford Middle School in Acushnet), providing the Luke Urban Field House with a five-hour look at the future of local basketball.

“The kids love it,” said Ed Rodrigues, former New Bedford High School coach and the tourney’s director on the New Bedford side. “The kids also need stuff like this after school. I know everything is about academics, but programs like this help kids get through school. I know it helped me get through it.

“We have stats on this. When kids get involved in programs like this, their academics improve, their attitudes improve. They need it. It’s also great to be able work with Fall River. We’re similar communities. It’s a lot of fun.”

Katera James joined Callaham in double figures for Kuss in the championship game with 10 points, while Emily Fiola finished with eight points.

For the boys, Keith was led by Elijah Diaz with 15 and Barron Hilton with 14.